The Food and Drink of Sydney

A History

Heather Hunwick

Sydney, famed for its setting and natural beauty, has fascinated from the day it was conceived as an end-of-the-world repository for British felons, to its current status as one of the world’s most appealing cities. This book recounts, and celebrates, the central role food has played in shaping the city’s development from the time of first human settlement to the sophisticated, open, and cosmopolitan metropolis it is today. The reader will learn of the Sydney region’s unique natural resources and come to appreciate how these shaped food habits through its pre-history and early European settlement; how its subsequent waves of immigrants enriched its food scene; its love-hate relationship with alcohol; its markets, restaurants, and other eateries; and, how Sydneysiders, old and new, eat at home. The story concludes with a fascinating review of the city’s many significant cookbooks and their origins, and some iconic recipes relied upon through what is, for a global city, a remarkably brief history.« lessmore »

Heather Hunwick has had a long professional career in Sydney in food service and nutrition consulting in health and education in both the public and private sectors. Her interests in food in all its dimensions have included teaching, researching and writing. More recently she has focussed on foods and their historical impact on urban settings. Previous publications include Nutrition in Food Service, and Doughnut: a Global History.

Hunwick is a solid writer, and this volume is a wonderful introduction to Sydney’s culinary history— Publishers Weekly

Heather Hunwick has served up a tasty dish with The Food and Drink of Sydney. Tracking Antipodean foodways, from colonial days to twenty-first-century takeaways, she has identified the culinary and social ingredients that make up the somewhat elusive Australian cuisine. This is history at its most digestible and satisfying and a welcome salute to Australia’s largest, hungriest, thirstiest and most cosmopolitan city.— Warren Fahey, AM, Cultural Historian

The Food and Drink of Sydney

A History

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Summary

Sydney, famed for its setting and natural beauty, has fascinated from the day it was conceived as an end-of-the-world repository for British felons, to its current status as one of the world’s most appealing cities. This book recounts, and celebrates, the central role food has played in shaping the city’s development from the time of first human settlement to the sophisticated, open, and cosmopolitan metropolis it is today. The reader will learn of the Sydney region’s unique natural resources and come to appreciate how these shaped food habits through its pre-history and early European settlement; how its subsequent waves of immigrants enriched its food scene; its love-hate relationship with alcohol; its markets, restaurants, and other eateries; and, how Sydneysiders, old and new, eat at home. The story concludes with a fascinating review of the city’s many significant cookbooks and their origins, and some iconic recipes relied upon through what is, for a global city, a remarkably brief history.

Heather Hunwick has had a long professional career in Sydney in food service and nutrition consulting in health and education in both the public and private sectors. Her interests in food in all its dimensions have included teaching, researching and writing. More recently she has focussed on foods and their historical impact on urban settings. Previous publications include Nutrition in Food Service, and Doughnut: a Global History.

Hunwick is a solid writer, and this volume is a wonderful introduction to Sydney’s culinary history— Publishers Weekly

Heather Hunwick has served up a tasty dish with The Food and Drink of Sydney. Tracking Antipodean foodways, from colonial days to twenty-first-century takeaways, she has identified the culinary and social ingredients that make up the somewhat elusive Australian cuisine. This is history at its most digestible and satisfying and a welcome salute to Australia’s largest, hungriest, thirstiest and most cosmopolitan city.— Warren Fahey, AM, Cultural Historian